Tokyo – 1 night, 2 days

I took Kodama Shinkansen to go to Tokyo on June 12. Kodama is a local train for Tokaido Shinkansen line, so the train stops at each station. It took 4 hours to get to Tokyo. I was expecting to receive a phone call from a friend of mine, so I wandered around JR Tokyo station, underground paths, and one of the newest redeveloped building in Tokyo, Tokyo Maru Building. The area around Tokyo station is such an office and business oriented neighbourhood. After 30 minuets, my friend didn't call, so I decided to leave. But, to where? I have neither a plan, a map, nor a guide book of Tokyo. Luckily, I remembered a subway station name that is close to a historical site where I wanted to visit. I pick up a copy of Tokyo Metro map and got on the subway to Kudanshita. The order of the photos (following) is periodical.

Yasukuni Shrine – one of controversial places to visit for people from around the world who know modern world history. Whether you are for- or anti- war, you will realise that the shrine's rightwingy ways of description for their signs.

As a Japanese, I could feel that this shrine is not an ordinary one.





I think this building was a national museum of ceramics, located in Kitanomaru National Park (a ruin of Tokugawa era's Edo Castle).








An expressway crossing a fosse of the Edo Castle.




















Kasumigaseki – an office/business district near the National Diet.









The National Diet









As you see the pictures, I walked a lot while I was in Tokyo. I walked from Kudanshita to Sakurada-mon and I took subway to Ikebukuro where my hotel was located. After taking shower to refresh at the hotel, I went to see my friend at Shinjuku station. I re-realised that the size of the city of Tokyo. It is huge and so dense. I met my friends at a restaurant. One of my friend and her friend left earlier because she got too drunk, but the rest of us went to the 2-chome area, but I was only a gay man. We found a small bar with a couple of tables on a narrow street. We had a few more drinks and talked.

Day 2 in Tokyo, I continued to be a tourist. I went to Tokyo Midtown re-developed area. The building and the stores inside were just okay, but I liked the building's huge garden.

I went to see a chocolate-themed exhibition (directed by Naoto Fukazawa) at 21_21 Design Site (the photo). It was a good exhibition. I usually buy a t-shirt at a design/art museum, but I gave up because a t-shirt cost about 6,000 yen.


































After Tokyo Midtown, I went to Kichijoji to see my friends. She was as fine as 6 years ago. We could have good time at the Inogashira Park with a good music performer. I took a Keio line to go to Shibuya where another friend waiting for me. I was exhausted with my heavy backpack. I went there anyway, too many people, so we started to walk toward Harajuku. There were many cute shops and flapship shops of chained fashion stores that I used to go when I lived in Osaka. I just passed by and did window shopping really. I was too sweaty and tired to shop anyway.

When I got on Nozomi Shinkansen, I fell asleep right away. When I got up, it was already Nagoya. Tokyo is too big, but it would be interesting to live there someday.